Zune HD Grand Tour

Looks nice but it's obviously ripping off many ideas from the iPod touch. And Microsoft fails again and again the design department. When will they learn that less is more? It's how Apple excels in the aesthetics category. They're trying way too hard to be over the top with the eye candy.
 
They should have come out with a 64g player and charged the same as Apple's 32g player. I was hoping for at least a SD slot. Not enough room if you want to use the player as a music AND video player- especially HD video.
 
Still does not offer AM radio, not interested. If I want music, I would listen to my own music collection, I want AM radio for my local news talk stations.
 
wolfhero said:
Still does not offer AM radio, not interested. If I want music, I would listen to my own music collection, I want AM radio for my local news talk stations.
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Sounds like this is the device for you then.

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This will be a very nice upgrade from my Zune30. I agree with you Diseaseboy, 64GB or a micro SD slot would have been nice, but they aren't deal beakers. The 720p video from the Zune Marketplace isn't all that huge, so sure it will require some shuffling of what you load. Loading one's whole music collection on a flash player is still a few years away.

@bonsai, the interface only looks busy because you've probably never used a Zune. Once you do, it makes sense. Since I'm not familiar with the iPod touch, maybe you'll be so kind as to point out the ideas that were ripped off? HD Radio? HD Video out? WiFi music sharing?
 
wolfhero said:
Still does not offer AM radio, not interested. If I want music, I would listen to my own music collection, I want AM radio for my local news talk stations.
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Hahahahahaha wow. I'm pretty sure no mainstream device from a mainstream company is going to offer AM radio since the demand for that feature is presumably extremely low.
 
bonsai said:
Looks nice but it's obviously ripping off many ideas from the iPod touch. And Microsoft fails again and again the design department. When will they learn that less is more? It's how Apple excels in the aesthetics category. They're trying way too hard to be over the top with the eye candy.
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I kind of agree with this. Microsofts UI seems somewhat asymmetrical: you have a list of features you can access, one of which doesn't even fit the screen properly (i.e. marketplace), and in the "background" you have the Pins just floating around randomly. Also, the "back" button during the Now Playing screen is for whatever reason partially cut off in the top left hand corner as if Microsoft is attempting to make a sleek looking UI with purposely messy graphics. Then, the crumb trail is just enlarged text that is partially cut off on the top edge of the screen.

The Zune interface almost looks like a modern advertisement. It's like it's been influence by some quasi-Web 2.0 modern artist. I am having a hard time deciding whether I like or dislike these aesthetics. I hate modern art to begin with.
 
wolfhero said:
Still does not offer AM radio, not interested. If I want music, I would listen to my own music collection, I want AM radio for my local news talk stations.
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Check to make sure that they aren't on HD radio. Most of the talk/news radio stations in my area are HD now.
 
Wow.

Too bad a few of my favorite albums and videos were bought from iTunes. And that I installed an iPod adapter into my car last year.

Why do you have to make this a hard decision Microsoft???
 
adri1456 said:
Wow.

Too bad a few of my favorite albums and videos were bought from iTunes. And that I installed an iPod adapter into my car last year.

Why do you have to make this a hard decision Microsoft???
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Easy problem to fix!
 
This is just the stepping stone to a ZunePhone. I know for a fact they are working on it. Can't wait.
 
p4gs said:
Hahahahahaha wow. I'm pretty sure no mainstream device from a mainstream company is going to offer AM radio since the demand for that feature is presumably extremely low.
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Yeah really low.... Millions of people listen to rush and coat to coast AM alone everyday. I need AM to.
 
bonsai said:
Looks nice but it's obviously ripping off many ideas from the iPod touch. And Microsoft fails again and again the design department. When will they learn that less is more? It's how Apple excels in the aesthetics category. They're trying way too hard to be over the top with the eye candy.
Click to expand...


Hmm... I own an iPod Touch and I don't see many similarities, other than they're both touchscreen devices with a single button on the front. I like it. Agree to disagree.
 
Methadras said:
This is just the stepping stone to a ZunePhone. I know for a fact they are working on it. Can't wait.
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It would be really awesome if that came with full out phone capabilities. :D I would definitely get that over an iPhone...
 
I have to say, I don't really dig the interface, and how it looks like a window into a bigger screen.
 
Joe Average said:
http://gizmodo.com/5337532/zune-hd-tv-interface-makes-it-a-media-center-for-your-pocket

Now see what it can do hooked up to a 60" HDTV. :D
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I was just about to link this.

That's what I like the most about the Zune HD so far, its basically an HTPC that you can carry around in your pocket.

Again, very cool.

That said, price comparisons are a non-issue, not when iPod refreshes are launching at around the same time the Zune HD comes out. I expect that the 32GB iPod Touch will drop to around $300 and a 64GB model will likely come out at $400. We'll see.

Either way, the Touch currently has a lot more functionality than the Zune HD, but plugging the ZHD into a TV at 720p (HTPC in your pocket!) is super super cool.
 
I want to know the memory specs on this thing. I hope they offer a 128 so i can carry everything in my collection.
 
Righty said:
Yeah really low.... Millions of people listen to rush and coat to coast AM alone everyday. I need AM to.
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List of features that are in higher demand than AM radio for a portable media player:

-Large capacity
-WiFi
-Video Playback
-Large Screen
-Portable Applications/Games
-Touch Screen
-OLED Screen
-Swappable Batteries

and probably just about every other feature that would be reasonable for an mp3 player (e.g. cameras...like for the next gen iPod touch)

While there are a lot of people who care about AM radios in general, there aren't really a lot of people who care if their mp3 player has AM radio or not. Thus, virtually no prominent manufacturers are going to supply AM radios with their mp3 players. Also, the target audience for these devices are for the younger generation (middle school, high school, college students and young adults) rather than 60-some year old couples who absolutely need their daily dose of NPR, BBC, or Rush.
 
Righty said:
Yeah really low.... Millions of people listen to rush and coat to coast AM alone everyday. I need AM to.
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Millions of people can listen to this SAME content on HD, only much better than crappy AM. Why do you need AM again?:confused:
 
Methadras said:
This is just the stepping stone to a ZunePhone. I know for a fact they are working on it. Can't wait.
Click to expand...

Some WinMo 6.5/7 phone(s) are going to get the Zune Marketplace, I think that's a given. From what I understand Zune Marketplace because of Zune Pass is doing fairly ok and putting on phones will just increase the subcription base. I love my Zune Pass but I'm at my device limit when I get my Zune HD. Microsoft needs to make sure that they don't piss off customer like me who are supporting them EVERY MONTH and make sure that some of us are getting a lot of Zune devices and using Zune Pass and don't wan't to have to buy a whole other subscription wheh we go beyond device limits. Maybe something like $5 or so extra for each addition device AND computer.
 
Diseaseboy said:
They should have come out with a 64g player and charged the same as Apple's 32g player. I was hoping for at least a SD slot. Not enough room if you want to use the player as a music AND video player- especially HD video.
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MicroSD slot should be a standard inclusion on ever audio player on the market. Period.

It is a huge reason that I bought the little Sansa Fuse I am listening to right now over an iPod.
 
p4gs said:
List of features that are in higher demand than AM radio for a portable media player:

-Large capacity
-WiFi
-Video Playback
-Large Screen
-Portable Applications/Games
-Touch Screen
-OLED Screen
-Swappable Batteries

and probably just about every other feature that would be reasonable for an mp3 player (e.g. cameras...like for the next gen iPod touch)

While there are a lot of people who care about AM radios in general, there aren't really a lot of people who care if their mp3 player has AM radio or not. Thus, virtually no prominent manufacturers are going to supply AM radios with their mp3 players. Also, the target audience for these devices are for the younger generation (middle school, high school, college students and young adults) rather than 60-some year old couples who absolutely need their daily dose of NPR, BBC, or Rush.
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Agreed... Although NPR is broadcast on FM which the above mentioned Sansa picks up remarkably well. :)
 
bucket said:
And that fact right there is pretty damn frightening if you ask me....
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Oh cmon, both of them are dam fine radio programs. Regardless of your silly politics. Which if your a cost to coast listener rush is just a drone for the reptilian overlords who are in the process of changing our DNA with agavence so they can use us for food.


And yes if it has HD then the AM thing does not matter.
 
Dr_Romulus said:
MicroSD slot should be a standard inclusion on ever audio player on the market. Period.

It is a huge reason that I bought the little Sansa Fuse I am listening to right now over an iPod.
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Why?

If you look at Archos products with very huge HDD's I don't see a good reason to have a MicroSD on that.
 
Righty said:
And yes if it has HD then the AM thing does not matter.
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Cool so we ALL are agreed, HD radio >>>>> AM radio. If someone can't get all there programming on HD radio either now or in the near future it would be news to me. HD radio is REPLACING both FM and AM. Stick a fork in them they are going to be done.
 
Righty said:
Yeah really low.... Millions of people listen to rush and coat to coast AM alone everyday. I need AM to.
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Agreed. I do believe Jim Rome has a dozen or two AM listeners....

I haven't had a chance to check out HD radio yet.
 
BloodyIron said:
Why?

If you look at Archos products with very huge HDD's I don't see a good reason to have a MicroSD on that.
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The SD slot thing would be kind of cool but these devices are typically sealed for support and cost reasons.

Has anyone heard about where the IE browser in the zHD supports Flash? The new IE browser in 6.5 supports Flashlight so I would expect the same.
 
wolfhero said:
Still does not offer AM radio, not interested. If I want music, I would listen to my own music collection, I want AM radio for my local news talk stations.
Click to expand...

Where is this the shortwave, ham, trunk radio cabalities. Geesh. :D
 
Righty said:
Yeah really low.... Millions of people listen to rush and coat to coast AM alone everyday. I need AM to.
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I'm not in a big market, but even here in central PA those shows are broadcast in FM.
Coast to Coast I kinda agree with. But who in their right mind really listens to Rush? Notice I said right mind. That is all
 
BloodyIron said:
Why?

If you look at Archos products with very huge HDD's I don't see a good reason to have a MicroSD on that.
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Well, honestly I was thinking smaller flash based players. Of course the SD slot on one of those would give you the easy way to watch content not stored on the player.
 
I need to preorder this thing sometime this weekend...

I really would LOVE a Zune Phone, if it's anything like this. (Granted it'd be hard to push RIM out of the business, but if I ever had a personal phone...)
 
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